The present invention relates generally to telecommunications services and, in particular, providing audio information through the telephone system.
Automated and quick access to various types of data is an increasingly important requirement in today""s society. In particular, with the increasing popularity of wireless telephones and pagers, consumers have generally instant access to a wealth of information, quite literally at their fingertips. Furthermore, these same consumers demand ease of access with a minimum of effort. As such, services that provide simplified access to a variety of information are available.
Among the best known of such information services, is the simple consumer dial-up line. In such a service, a caller dials a particular number to access a database of information pertaining to potentially hundreds of different topics, such as finance, sports, soap operas, health topics, etc. Typically, the database includes a front end much like an interactive voice response (IVR) system, wherein the caller is greeted by a message welcoming the caller to the service. After providing some brief instructions, the caller is asked to enter either the number for the exact topic in which the caller is interested, or to enter a general subject number from where the caller is informed of the various topics under that general heading. The caller may then select from one of the presented topics. After selecting the topic, the information system provides current information to the caller regarding the particular information the caller is seeking. Unfortunately, the caller is required to dial up the service each time newly updated or different information is desired. Furthermore, the caller is, in many cases, required to leaf through a telephone book in an attempt to find the number for the information the caller is seeking. Depending upon the number of topics offered, the listing can be extremely large and cumbersome to review.
Recently, pagers and paging service providers also have begun offering information services to their subscribers. In particular, the subscriber purchases or leases an alphanumeric pager and enters into a contract with a service provider. The pager, in addition to performing standard paging functions, is also able to provide various types of information, such as sports scores, stock market information and the like, depending on the subscribers requirements. The information is provided at specified intervals or upon a change in status of the requested information, such as the score of a basketball game changing. Typically, like any other time the pager receives a message, the subscriber""s pager beeps, vibrates or lights. The message, in the above example, instead of being the telephone number and/or a message from a caller, is the information desired by the subscriber and provided by the service provider. In certain instances, however, a person may be unwilling to carry a pager or spend additional money in purchasing or leasing a pager. In particular, if a person is interested in receiving information only when at home, subscribing to pager services may not be worthwhile.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system that provides an information service that enables a subscriber to quickly obtain desired information without requiring that the subscriber memorize numbers or spend additional money on hardware.